Potgieter sets sights on further Rugby honours

Darling Downs product Phil Potgieter finished off a stellar 2015 season on a high last Friday, with a 40-29 win over New Zealand’s Heartland XV as part of the Australian Barbarians side. 

The 20-year-old lock, who featured for Bond University Queensland Country throughout the 2015 Buildcorp National Rugby Championship (NRC), was selected in the Barbarians alongside fellow Queenslanders Ben Hyne and Waita Setu, and last Friday’s win saw the side claim a two-match series sweep over their New Zealand counterparts. 

“It was a huge honour to be part of the squad,” Potgieter said. 

“I was surprised to be part of the Queensland Country squad so to be selected in the Barbarians following my debut season in the NRC was a real privilege. 

“The tour was a lot of fun, the players really embraced the tour and the culture of the Barbarians and everyone got along really well. The first day we didn’t know each other’s names but we’ve come back having developed great friendships. 

“The tour was a really good balance of taking the Rugby aspect seriously while also enjoying the experience and getting to know each other.” 

As well as representing the Australian Barbarians and Queensland Country in 2015, Potgieter was also part of the Reds Under-20s and featured for the University of Queensland in Queensland Premier Rugby, where the side made it through to the semi-finals. 

Potgieter has a new sense of self-belief following his experiences throughout the year. 

“I think I’ve been able to show myself that I have what it takes to play Rugby at a higher level and I’ll keep working on my game week in, week out and hopefully more opportunities will arise,” he said. 

Potgieter played a total of seven games for Queensland Country throughout the 2015 NRC season, starting at lock in all seven matches, and helped the side claim the mantle as one of the best scrummaging teams in the competition. He said he learnt a lot from playing alongside and against players with Super Rugby experience. 

“I took a lot out of learning from players who had Super Rugby and Wallabies experience throughout the NRC. It was a big advantage playing with those guys. You pick up a lot of little technicalities that go unnoticed in Premier Rugby. Playing with Saia Fainga’a in particular was a huge honour,” he said. 

Having moved to Australia from South Africa with his family at the age of four, Potgieter played all his junior Rugby in the Darling Downs, playing junior club Rugby for South Toowoomba Kookaburras before going on to captain the Toowoomba Grammar First XV in 2012 under then head coach Jason Gilmore, who was also the head coach of the Queensland Country NRC side this year.

Having grown up in Toowoomba, Potgieter said it meant a lot for him to don the Country jersey emblazoned with the Cooktown Orchard logo synonymous with Queensland Country Rugby. 

“Having come from a rural town like Toowoomba and then moving to Brisbane and earning selection in the Country side, it was a huge honour for not just myself but also my family and friends.”

Potigieter was one of 26 players from the 2015 Queensland Country squad that trace their roots to country Queensland. He believes that their selection in the Country NRC side is evidence of the success of the pathway systems in regional Queensland. 

“Having players from regional areas in the Country side shows there is are pathway there for juniors in Queensland’s country regions through programs such as the Junior Gold Cup and the Emerging Reds. 

“Even if players aren’t recognised at a junior level they can also push for representative sides such as the Queensland Country NRC team through playing Premier Rugby.” 

With 2015 drawing to a close and the 2016 Rugby season on the horizon, Potgieter has aspirations to continue to build upon his promising Rugby career. 

“In 2016 I really want to focus on playing in the NRC again and having another solid season in Premier Rugby, but the major goal I want to set for myself is to play professional Rugby in the near future.”